One Water Street open house
Is it a picnic table? Is it a bike? Is it fun? Yes, the four-wheeled quadra cycle that The Smile Cycle Pedal Tour Company has brought to Kelowna is all three.
“These quadra cycles are so unique,” said Smile Cycle owner Stuart Lang. “It turns head wherever it goes. Passersby stop, ask what it is and want to get on.”
This big 800-kilogram cycle does indeed have a picnic table that seats 15.
Ten of the 15 passengers can peddle the contraction from where they sit sideways, confoundingly propelling the contraption forward. Lang is the driver. To obey local laws, people seated at the picnic table can’t drink, but they can at the stops that the tours make.
The most-popular Craft Beer Crawl sees The Smile Cycle hit Tree, BNA and Kettle River breweries downtown for tastings.
The Grapes and Grains tour makes three stops as well, at one of the breweries, at the all-under-one-roof Peller, Conviction, Sandhill and Wayne Gretzky wineries and the group’s choice of B.C. Tree Fruits Cidery, Okanagan Spirits or Urban Distillery.
All tours are $37 and don’t include tasting costs at any of the stops.
For the same price, there’s also a Discover Kelowna sightseeing tour.
The quadra cycle was invented in Holland, where local laws allow peddlers to imbibe on the move.
Lang bought his used $20,000 quadra cycle from Holland and started offering tours this spring.
Check out the tour schedule and book online at SmileCycleTours.ca.
Biosphere
The Thompson Okanagan has a unique social, environmental, cultural and economic ecosystem.
As such, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association is working on obtaining a Biosphere Destination Certificate for the region from the Madrid, Spain-based Responsible Tourism Institute.
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association CEO Glenn Mandziuk has signed a letter of commitment with the institute to prove over the next six month the region deserves the certification.
If the Thompson Okanagan earns the accolade, it will be one of only 20 destinations in the world in the category.
“We are blessed with an extraordinary tourism region in Canada and it is imperative we collectively work to ensure the long-term sustainability,” said Mandziuk.
“The opportunity to be the first destination in Canada and the United States to achieve such a prestigious international designation will be a tremendous honour for the region.”
The Responsible Tourism Institute works under a memorandum of understanding with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and is affiliated to the World Tourism Organization and Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
Tallest buildings
The developers who want to put up what will be Kelowna’s tallest buildings are hosting an open house to explain the project on June 7.
The 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. session will be at the Laurel Packinghouse downtown and will showcase the architectural form and character of the 29-and-36-storey condominium towers that have been named One Water Street, after its address at the corner of Water Street and Sunset Drive.
North American Development Group, which is building the McKinley Beach neighbourhood in Kelowna, and Kerkhoff Construction, which half-way through building the 21-storey condo tower at 1151 Sunset Drive, are the developers.
Kelowna’s current tallest building is also on Sunset Drive, the 26-storey Skye condo.
The developers say building iconic taller, slimmer towers protect views in the neighbourhood while adding pizzazz to the urban skyline.
The developers are working with the City of Kelowna to get the rezoning required to build that tall on the site.
If all goes well, pre-sales for the first-phase 200-unit 36-storey condo could start in September and construction could begin in the spring of 2018 for 2020 completion.
Debt binge
One in five British Columbians don’t make enough money to cover their debts.
And an additional 40 per cent of British Columbians are $200 or less per month away from not being able to meet their bills.
“Consumer debt levels are at record levels, home prices in the Okanagan are edging higher and what’s alarming is many lack the basic financial literacy skills to manager their debt,” said licensed insolvency trustee Darrin Surminsky of MNP Accountants & Consultants in Kelowna.
“With hardly any wiggle room, any sort of financial shock is going to push some closer to financial crisis. With no savings and a lack of understanding of how interest rates impact payments, they end up taking on more debt and high-cost loans. Many in the Okanagan have pulled equity out of their homes to stay afloat, digging themselves even deeper in debt.”
Surminsky advises seeking professional advice if you have to use credit cards to pay for basic expenses or are taking out a home equity line of credit to service other debts.
“There is an unquestioned attitude that living in debt is normal,” he said.
“Many are in denial, believing they can manage their growing debts. Others don’t know where to go for help or are afraid to address their debts head on.”
Peachland prez
Rocky Rocksborough-Smith, who owns and operates the Pineacres on the Lake bed and breakfast with his wife, Tanya, is the new president of the Peachland Chamber of Commerce.
Rocksborough-Smith replaces outing president, Coldwell Banker realtor Dave Collins, who will remain on the board as past-president.
Rocksborough-Smith has a four decade background in business as the co-founder and principal of shipping supplier Triton Marine Group of Vancouver.
He is also president of the Canadian Ship Supply and Services Association and retired senior executive vice-president of the International Ship Supply and Services Association.
Hefty rents
Kelowna continues to be one of the most expensive cities in the country to rent an apartment.
National rental portal PadMapper.com pegged the average monthly rent on a two-bedroom unit in Kelowna in April at $1,600.
That’s the third priciest behind only Vancouver at $3,240 and Toronto with $2,250.
Renting a two-bed place in Kelowna costs more than in bigger cities such as Victoria at $1,450, Montreal with $1,410, Ottawa at $1,330 and Calgary at $1,260.
The average monthly rent on a one-bedroom apartment in Kelowna is $1,020, the eighth most expensive in the country.
Lofty rents are in keeping with Kelowna’s hot housing market pushing up prices of resale homes and new houses, as well.
The average selling price of a resale single-family home in the city is at a record $660,000 and new single-family is $800,000.
Book signing
Tim Young and Hugh Philip, authors of Moving to Kelowna, B.C.: A No-Nonsense Guide, will be at Mosaic Books today 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to sign copies of the book and discuss the pros and cons of living in the city.
Two dollars from each $15 book sold will be donated to the Central Okanagan Food Bank.